Chapter 1
Sabrina's head was about to drop as her brain activity was fading. Her mind whirred around the thought of slumber, but she had to stay awake. She would not let herself fall into a dark abyss with little hopes of getting out. But the thought was so alluring, it was hard to resist. Sabrina was alert, but her mind was not. She feared of her eyes closing of what she would miss and what she would see. It was too late, though. She was getting dragged in.
With her head slowly falling back, her eyes gently closed. Sabrina felt trapped, but she could not force herself to pull out of it. Her vision died, and her hearing followed. It had been too much to bear for her. Her mind relaxed as she had gone blank. This lasted for what seemed like a few seconds for every few moments. Her body went stiff, and her left foot jerked slightly until it cooled down as her mind had done. She had to bear it no more.
Until the slow agony of what she feared of seeing came as a distorted dream. His face, demented, appearing larger and closer with every moment. His eyes, dark and demon-like, bore into him, just the thought of him made her squirm. Being awake was better, not as painful for her.
A sharp alarm rung in her ears. Discomfort and anxiety overcame her. Her eyes shot open at the sudden noise in her surprise to the sight of the ceiling. Her breaths, ragged, intensified with each second. Her head snapped to the front of the room.
Everyone was standing up and leaving. Class, and school for that matter, was over. Sabrina's bangs covered her eyes, and she quickly ran through them to push them back into place. Her eyes frantically placed themselves on the stuff on her desk, and she sighed in relief as she begun to put them away. Her wavy locks once again came in her way she leaned over her backpack. Her breath, now settled, was calm and became easier over time.
"Enjoy your nap, Sabrina?" Tanya asked with a definite smirk evident in her voice. Sabrina shook her head and tried to give a fake smile, but all that prevailed was a straight line on her face. Tanya tilted her head in questioning, jumping over the edge of her desk to have her feet touch Sabrina's backpack.
"What's wrong?" Tanya asked, worried. Sabrina only shook her head again and rose to her feet with her backpack now in her hands. The classroom was now empty except for the two and the teacher, who did not mind the students staying longer. Sabrina's straight line turned into a frightened smile. "It's just..." She closed her eyes.
"Tanya, I see his face everywhere. I'm afraid to sleep at night because of him, and once I sleep here, I still see his cruel image in my head. He's like a ghost, he haunts me." Sabrina opened her eyes to gaze sadly upon her friend. "He might as well be one." Tanya scratched at her head and whirled her fingers around her deep red dyed, short hair. Her look was one of sympathy, even though she knew she could do nothing to save her friend. All she could ever say was either "I'm sorry" or "Everything will be ok." Nothing ever helped.
So Tanya remained quiet as Sabrina glanced to the side, trying to hold in her tears. Eventually, Sabrina sniffed, looked back at Tanya, and uttered a "Let's go." Tanya obediently followed.
The two, once out of class, did not speak of Sabrina's situation again. They tried to happily chat about boys, homework, and other things 16-year-old girls would chat about. Sabrina might have been talking to Tanya, seeming happy, but her mind was somewhere else. Another world, you could say, one where people like her father did not exist. Where people did not abuse her, where people actually believed her, one where people could actually do something about her situation. If only such a place was real to her, one not locked up firmly in her mind, one not kept hidden from anyone. She could live in that world any day.
Tanya might have known Sabrina's story, but only bits and pieces. Sabrina never shared the entire woeful tale, nor did she want to. She never told Tanya what she did at night, to escape the pain, how many times she had tried to run away from it all, only to come back like a lost dog. She never told her about her secret dreams, about her mother and what really happened to her, and how much she blamed herself for it. She never told anyone how much she thought about anything, about feeling so unwanted and so lost in a world where no one wanted her, and if they did, it was only to inflict some sort of pain.
She never told anyone anything. She kept it locked away in her mind and had thrown away the key very long ago. She had never bothered to search for it again after that. The key was lost and had been buried with the only person who had ever cared about her. No point unburying it, for she would never tell the deep, dark secrets hidden beneath the occasional smile she gave or the rare giggle. Lost underneath her chocolate, empty eyes. Her face would always be wearing a mask and she had her mahogany-red hair covering it up even more.
Keeping it all up inside for so long and so much to keep had made her strange in another perspective. She did not feel the need to have much, nor did she want much. Only freedom was what she desired. The ability to fight back and escape once and for all. She did not know whether or not she would earn this freedom.
Tanya was still talking, while Sabrina was day-dreaming. Together, they made their way home. Tanya knew Sabrina wasn't really paying attention, but she kept talking anyways, to feel like nothing was wrong with her friend. They soon came to a stop sign at an intersection, but as Tanya stopped, Sabrina didn't. She took a few steps past the stop sign towards a car speeding towards her, still in a daze and not noticing. Tanya gasped, yelling out her name, before pulling her out of the road with a violent jerk of her arm and out of the dream.
Sabrina stared dreamily around her as the car passed them, with an angry driver. Tanya looked at Sabrina with awe. "What was that all about? You could have been killed!" Sabrina watched Tanya's eyes cautiously, about to say something, until her stare went past Tanya. It seemed as if she was hypnotized, yet confused. "Sabrina? Hello?" Tanya waved her hand in front of Sabrina's face. She did not respond. Tanya turned around to follow Sabrina's stare.
She was staring at the new ice cream man. He was much younger than the previous ones and better-looking, too. His hair, a dark auburn, fell gracefully on his face and complimented his cheek bones. From afar, his eyes looked a little like hazel. He was handing out ice cream to children of all ages. But his truck was different. The pictures were faded and did not have the usual ice cream flavors. Instead of characters used on popsicles, the names were like "Strawberry Lips," "Vanilla Lungs," and "Raspberry Hearts." The kids seemed to love it, though.
For a quick moment, the ice cream man glanced at the girls, catching them staring at him. Tanya looked away the same moment, but Sabrina did not. They both stared intently at each other. Sabrina found something unusual about him, or maybe it had been just his eyes... they were very similar to a cat's eyes. And for a quick moment, they appeared green. But soon, he looked down upon another customer, smiling, and asking them what flavor they would like.
Sabrina thought he reminded her of someone. Tanya snapped her fingers in Sabrina's face, and her focus was lost. "Geez, Sabrina, this is unusual, even for you. How many trances are you going to get in today?" Sabrina glanced at Tanya, smirked one of her occasional smiles, and shrugged it off. Tanya wrapped her arm around Sabrina's shoulder and pushed her across the street. When Tanya wasn't looking though, Sabrina glanced behind her to the ice cream truck. The man was now seated in his seat and staring at her with a certain interest. His eyes were wider now, and he was no longer smiling.
Sabrina quickly shifted her head to face forward. Tanya glanced at her quickly, but did not pay much attention. Sabrina slowly turned to the ice cream truck again. It was gone.
